As the weather starts to warm up I’m reminded of the Daredevils that intentionally went over Niagara Falls in all types of contraptions from a rubber ball to a kayak.
The first person to go over the Canadian Horseshoe Falls (no one has tried to go over the American Falls because of the heavy concentration of rocks below it) was 63-year old Annie Taylor from Bay City, Michigan. She survived. The last person claiming to be a daredevil to go over the falls wore only street clothes. Kirk Jones on October 20th 2003 became one of the luckiest people on this planet when he survived. Most people (including me) believe he was trying to kill himself and was not doing it as a daredevil.
On March 11,2009 an unidentified man jumped in the water above the Canadian Horseshoe Falls in an attempt to commit suicide. Miraculously, he also survived the plunge over the falls and was rescued 30 minutes later from the Niagara River below the falls by Chief Pilot Reudi Hafen of Niagara Helicopters. To this date the man has never been identified. He became the third person to go over Niagara Falls without some kind of protection and survive. Seven-year old Roger Woodward accidentally went over Niagara Falls wearing only a life jacket on July 9, 1960 and survived.
To date 16 different people, including two women, claiming to be daredevils have intentionally tried to “beat” Niagara Falls. Two of these people went over Niagara at the same time in the same barrel. Five of these people lost their lives in the attempt. My book, “Daredevils Over Niagara,” provides more details. It is illegal to attempt such a feat.
